Monday, February 8, 2016

Apologies, more Internet Updates

Apologies for more internet updates, but it's good to talk and anything that helps highlight the faceless, uncaring bunch who seem to have had their head turned by the glamour of Television land provides some form of succour.

I received a call last week from the Managing Director of the Customer Care department, who, in a well versed pitch, apologised for our travails admitted what a hopeless bunch her company had been and would £80 back be OK as some form of recompense, which served as tinder for the five minutes of verbal flames that consequently flowed from this end of the line.

Twenty minutes later I received this heartfelt email from the Customer Care Department.

Caroline Nokes and her team have been brilliant, and come on Flash, give her a good job, she is far more suited to office than some of the oily ambitious coves that currently lurk in the shadows of the cabinet.

Can't praise her highly enough, she has offered to take the case up with OFCOM on our behalf and Ryan in Miss Nokes' office has pitched our case to the radio, and so a challenge for the Radio 2 Breakfast show gains pace.

While we're on all things audio, it was a sad day when himself packed in the Radio 2 Breakfast show and a travesty that upon his demise his Sunday morning show is now the domain of one Richard Madeley

Poor Judy

There remains one stand out broadcaster on the BBC. He's only on once a week, he's getting on in years and when he finally leaves the airwaves his absence will also be mourned by many.

Give Prodnose the Radio 2 Breakfast Show and get him on the air every day before it's too late, he is the best broadcaster of his generation.

The plug has also been pulled on what we were sold as an unlimited data mobile broadband account. Apparently "unlimited" is somewhere between 15GB and 20 GB and once reached (which we did in just over two weeks of light internet use) a message pops up saying "stop what you're doing now!" so to maintain our connection for the second half of the month we must furnish them with lots of money in exchange for golden chunks of gigabyte in order to preserve our internet connection......it's a right old scam this mobile broadband business.

It is a month now since I first wrote to Dave, Jez and Caroline so I gave Dave and Jez another poke today and dispatched the following two letters as their trails seems to have cooled a tad.

Apologies for bothering you again. What with Europe and all, you must have a lot on, so I'll keep it brief.

Attached is a letter I sent to you, Citizen Jez and my own MP at the beginning of the year concerning broadband supply to an area forty minutes from what some would have as the greatest city on earth. You very kindly replied with the assurance that The Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport would get right on to the case, although one month on I have yet to hear anything from our man at the ministry.

Citizen Jez was busy formulating a plan for submissive submarines at the time, so his radio silence is understandable, and he does seem to get a lot of letters so it could quite easily have gone astray.

My own MP, Caroline Nokes has been tremendous and along with her team in the office currently give battle with the nation's leading supplier of internet via poles and lines - give her a top job, she's really good, and promises to roust up the local media regarding this issue.

With regard to household internet supply, we must now rely on a 3G supply with a monthly limit of 20GB delivered to a dongle.

In a house of two adults with two grown up children this barely lasts half a month even without You tube, Live streaming, NetFlix et al (the connection isn't fast enough) The charges implemented by mobile internet providers to customers who reach their monthly limit and must buy extra data for the remainder of the month is punitive. Mobile broadband providers are "cashing in" on those unfortunate enough to be unable to receive broadband supply via poles and lines. There are unlimited data packages available for mobile phones, but these are not made available to those who cannot receive a BT Broadband household supply, and must rely on the mobile network via a dongle. The cost of supplying an internet supply to a house only occupied during the evening as my wife and I both work, my son is undertaking 3rd year work experience for his degree and my daughter is rarely in, regularly comes in at over three figures.

My wife and I bring in an average income and this is a significant cost to this household.

The dream of an internet speed of 10mb for all or most, is pie in the sky, particularly in this corner of the UK where we struggle to receive any meaningful broadband supply at all, and it is not being talked about enough at the required level.

Greetings from the countryside Comrade, Freedom for Tooting! and all that.

Apologies for another letter, but just a heads up as to the state of play with regard to broadband supply in this area, forty minutes from what some would have as the greatest city on earth.

I have re-attached my previous letter, which I also sent to Dave and my own MP. I understand the lack of a reply as you do seem to get a lot of letters and it would be easy for it to go astray, and anyway you're obviously a very busy man

I won't bore you with our situation again, it's all in the previous letter, but suffice to say, our home is unable to receive a broadband supply via the medium of poles and lines. As a result we must now rely on a Mobile Broadband supply of 20GB per month. I would like to draw your attention to the punitive charges applied by the Mobile broadband suppliers once a monthly limit is reached. In this household where my wife and I both work full time, my son is undertaking his third year work experience as part of his degree, and my daughter who has just completed her Masters Degree and is now understandably rarely in, our limit is reached mid month and we are forced to purchase extra data. This regularly puts the cost of our monthly internet use ( which does not include live streaming, TV, You tube or any moving pictures - the 3G supply is to slow to allow this) well into three figures.

The stated aim of internet speeds of 10mb or more for all is a pipe dream in many areas even here, forty minutes from the Nation's Capital.

Yours in telecommunications frustration

Chris de Cani

And there we are. River news to follow on soon, but in brief trees are down, water levels are up and all is pretty much as it should be for this time of the year.

About Me

Knees ache when I run, although still proficient with stairs.
Little bit out of touch, and struggle to converse with teenagers, dog still finds me reasonable company, but it won't last.
Hair grows where it shouldn't and is missing where it should.
Still believe that I am good enough to play for Liverpool.
Middle aged master of the misplaced comma